Black & White
by Turtle.Lovee
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi has yet to become Vongola Decimo but has knowledge of it. His past is something not a lot of people know about, but four people and how those two of those people play a role in his becoming of Decimo. Somewhat-AU and a lot of OCCness.
1. Beginning with A Flashback

**Disclaimer**_: So we're doing this here, instead of posting it every chapter. We don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! no matter how much we want to hug adorable Chrome. _

_*Italics are flashbacks and thoughts.

* * *

_

Standing tall with several stories, overlooking Namimori, stood Namimori Gakuen. Its walls were pale in yellow after so many years being opened, though it's proud stance never faltered. Many people entered and graduated from the school and some came out as some of the most powerful people on the face of the earth. That was not going to change for the years to come.

Large, but not abnormally large eyes, colored with chocolate brown and dark orange took a quick look at the towering building even though it was not standing on a hill. A hand rose and scratched untamed chocolate brown locks. The boy was short, but not too short, since it was possible that he had not had his growth spurt yet. There was proof all over his body, somewhat feminine facial features and a petite body shape, none of the angular masculine features evident anywhere.

A sigh escaped his lips. He did not have the energy to go to school. He never wanted to go to school. Reluctantly, he did since he did not want to worry his mother who had been taking care of him alone since his father was off "working". Arranging the strap of his school bag back on top of his shoulders, he entered the school, not expecting anything to happen at all.

The head of Namimori's Disciplinary Committee noticed the brunette herbivore walking into his beloved school. He had not noticed anything before but something was different, now that he paid attention. He could not exactly place a finger on it, so he tossed the small interest aside. Turning his heels into the other direction, his steel blue eyes took one quick glance at the herbivore before ripping them away. Why would a carnivore care for an herbivore? It should not unless it was a prey.

Unknown to the herbivore, two pairs of beings were watching him from across the street. It was rather strange, since they did knew each other but they were so far apart, yet one thing ran through their minds. They really wanted to meet the young male.

* * *

The fifteen year old, Sawada Tsunayoshi or Tsuna for short, was known for being notoriously stupid and clumsy aka Dame-Tsuna. He was constantly being bullied, lectured by teachers, happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and falling over things that were invisible to others. On the other hand, he had a different façade off the campus.

He had a different personality when he was in public. He was more open and confident, no sign of Dame-Tsuna anywhere. He clearly attracted attention wherever he went, but somehow when his bullies ever met him off campus, they would never recognize the boy but put it off as if he was someone completely different. It was as if his personality at school was just a charade to fool someone's eyes... Maybe it was the glasses he wore to hide his appearance even a bit.

No, he knew someone was watching him ever since he was small, so that was how come he acted like that. He knew he had relations to the Mafia, hoping the day will never come with that invitation, but he knew fate was not going to act in his favor.

Little to people's knowledge, Tsuna had little friends. The only close two friends he had were Rokudo Mukuro and Dokuro Chrome. Their location was currently unknown due to Mukuro hiding from Vendice, but they would come by to visit him, at least once a week. He knew of Mukuro's past since he too was involved in it but indirectly. Tsuna was always hesitating whether to tell the boy of his Mafia heritage, scared that the older teen did not want anything to do with him afterwards.

Mukuro found out when he overheard Tsuna conversing with Chrome one night, three years back.

* * *

"_Tsunayoshi."_

"_HIEEE!" Tsuna immediately jumped when he heard his friend's voice, but something was different. It held no mischief but cold air. He slowly looked turned around, only to see a heavy and dark aura surrounding the older boy. "Mukuro… When did you come back?"_

_Mukuro cocked his head to the side, thinking whether to answer that question or not. "I thought I would surprise you when I came back, but I guess I was the one who the surprise instead. Now, let me ask. What you told Chrome, is that true?" Mukuro's eyes were asking Tsuna to tell him it was not true, but its overall emotion was anger and hatred. _

_Tsuna looked to the side, his hands at his sides. He wished he was standing up now, so he did not have feel Mukuro's glare at him. His hair covered his eyes, hiding emotion. "Yes… It's true. I'm Vongola Decimo…"_

_Mukuro almost snapped but kept calm. His scowl was replaced by a smirk. "Oya? What's this? I did not think the prey I was looking for was right underneath my nose. I am truly surprised that you still continue to come to me when I told you of my goal, yes?" He started walking towards Tsuna, his trident slowly materializing in his hand. _

_Tsuna made no sound. His eyes were fixed upon the trident, which was now placed near his neck. "To take down the Mafia world." His lips curved into a bittersweet smile. _

_Mukuro snapped all at once. "Idiot! Why aren't you escaping? Why do you choose to stay here when you know I will possess your body, you fool!" He glared at the boy, his face not changing at all. He slammed his trident on the ground, vines coming up wrapping themselves tightly around Tsuna. "You have no chance of running now."_

"_Mukuro-sama." Chrome called out, but Mukuro placed an arm back to stop her. "Tsuna-kun did not mean it. He was just looking for a way to tell you."_

_Mukuro scowled. "Is this how you wanted to tell me, Decimo?" He glared at Tsuna, who tried to resist before but now held no resistance. "Ugh… Why?"_

"_Because this is my punishment… I don't want to lose anyone important again…" Tsuna's eyes were hidden by his brunette locks, tears slowly exposed themselves as they slid down his cheek. "This way, we won't be seper-" Before Tsuna could finish, the vines had suddenly disappeared as he hit the ground. He looked up to see Mukuro, glaring at him, but his trident was nowhere to be seen. "Mukuro?"_

_Mukuro somewhat jumped when Tsuna called his name, but ignored it as he hastily walked out of the room and into the winter cold. _

"_Mukuro?" Tsuna scrambled up to run after him, only to have Chrome catch his arm. "Chrome! Why are you stopping me?" Her grip was rather tight on him. _

"_Tsuna-kun…" Chrome fumbled with her words as she tried to pick out the right ones to talk with. "Mukuro-sama needs some time alone now. You should know how it feels to lose a love one… That is what he is feeling right now; just he feels it as betrayal…"_

_Tsuna looked at Chrome. "I did betray him…"_

_Chrome let go of Tsuna's arm, as it hung limply by his side. "Tsuna-kun…"_

_Tsuna smiled a bit as he heard his name being called. "He just needs time, right? I'll wait in front for him, until he comes back. I want to talk to him and tell him that I am Decimo myself."_

_Chrome tried to grab Tsuna again, but he was too fast for her. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she laid that thought to rest as she saw the sudden determination on his face. "Good luck, Tsuna-kun."_

_Tsuna placed a peck on her cheek before he ran out. "Thank you, Chrome."_

_Chrome blushed as she saw her friend run out, but her face suddenly held no color as she remembered a thought. Her knees hit the ground as she held herself up by her arms. "Tsuna-kun, your kindness will be your greatness advantage as well as your disadvantage." She had seen the Mafia world firsthand, and it was not pretty as the one above it. _

_Mukuro did not know where his feet were leading him, but they somehow ended up back at the house. "Tch…" He knew Tsuna was related to the Mafia somehow, but never questioned the boy about it. Him being Decimo was unexpected. Was he infuriated that he had the Decimo right under his hands or that the Decimo turned out to be that boy? His hand ran through his hair in frustration. He knew his answer. _

_It was because the boy was Decimo. By then, he knew that he could never have his revenge on the Mafia world since he would not have the heart to possess the boy. Ha! He had a heart? That was certainly new. _

_Once he approached the porch, his eyes were caught b chocolate brown color. What was Tsuna doing out in this weather? He walked closer to the boy, noticing the color on the boy's face was quite red. What? Mukuro quickly took his glove off to touch the boy's hands, only to find it freezing. And he was out here waiting for him? That imbecile! Mukuro picked up the boy, heaving him up into his arms and kicked the door open. _

_When Chrome saw him, she immediately ran to get Tsuna's mother, who was scolding Mukuro for quite awhile for leaving Tsuna out like that even though it was not his fault. _

_Tsuna woke up to find Mukuro's hand over his, quite shock that the glove was off. His hand was surprisingly warm. Both of their hands were tainted, but this one covered his hands in gloves as if he was trying to keep them clean. Tsuna smiled at the thought, as he tried place a blanket over Mukuro, only to fall on top of the boy. _

_When Chrome entered the room, her face flared up in a crimson color. She had run up to check up on Tsuna since she heard a loud thump. She had not expected this, especially from Tsuna of all people. _

_Tsuna was on top of Mukuro, their faces mere centimeters apart. But since Tsuna was sweating from his fever, it looked as if he and Mukuro were "messing around". Mukuro woke up suddenly as he felt his head hit the ground, only to find Tsuna on top of him. This was truly a comprising position, especially when the blankets were tangled around them. _

_Tsuna's face was now crimson as he tried to get up from Mukuro, trying to convince Chrome that it did not look like what it seemed. "Chrome! It's not what you think. I was just trying to place a blanket on Mukuro, but I fell-!"Before Tsuna could finish, his head had been struck by a trident, that he was out cold once again. _

_Chrome noticed it was her trident. "Ah, Tsuna-kun!" She rushed to his side, somewhat erasing the scene in her mind, now worried about the sick unconscious boy. "Mukuro-sama, please help!"_

_Mukuro chuckled as he got himself up. "Kufufufu. Maybe I don't have to possess you after all, Decimo. This is already quite entertaining."_

_Chrome scolded him for saying that, only to have Nana appear at the door. Shivers were sent down their spines. _

"_Chrome-chan. Mu-chan. Why is Tsu-kun out of his bed with his sheets wrapped around Mu-chan?" It did not help when they both saw a black aura surrounding her appearance. (Yes, they both fainted, not wanting what would happen if they were still unconscious. Even the great Mukuro had someone to fear.)_

* * *

Tsuna chuckled at the memory. When he woke up, he noticed his room was locked and that Chrome was placed his mother's room while Mukuro was locked in the attic, so he would have to access to him.

Chalk was chucked at him, hitting him squarely in the forehead. "Ow…"

"Sawada, pay attention in class instead of daydreaming." The teacher glared at him, ignoring the boy as he went back to the lesson.

"Hai…" But after a few seconds, his mind soon drifted away like the clouds. He knew the Mafia was coming closer, his invitation to become Vongola Decimo. But he did not know much it would affect him and his past was going to play a role in this. All he knew was that he could not become Decimo if he could not even save two people important to him.

* * *

**Notes:**

It's a fresh start. And a different story and fandom we're writing with. So there is going to be a lot of OCCness. In fact, there's going to be a lot, but we hope to get rid of it by the time we finish. If not, we hope it was a least a good read. It has been awhile since we last wrote a story like this. But we probably went with this anime/manga probably because we're hooked and kicked off of watching the episodes for twelve weeks. Yay...

Any criticism is helpful, so please review.


	2. Beginning with A Flashback: Part II

A sigh escaped his lips when the long awaited bell finally rung to release the students. He wanted to get of there before his usual bullies caught up to him. He was currently on the second level of the building, as he scanned out the window. His eyes glanced side to side at the entrance and danced with glee when he saw his friends waiting at the gate for him. He bolted out the classroom door, but slowed down to a speed where he would not get caught by a certain feared perfect. Tsuna shivered at the thought of being caught by Hibari Kyouya, the head of the Disciplinary Committee. Tasting his blood against a metallic object was something he would gladly not want to taste. He was so close to the entrance, until two bullies stood in his way: one tall and one chubby.

"HIEEE!"

"Why are you in such a hurry, Dame-Tsuna? I thought we were friends." The tall one chuckled, his face a bit too close for Tsuna's comfort. "Don't tell me you're avoiding us?"

Tsuna squirmed in the boy's grip. _Eh?_ _We were never friends to begin with!_ "I-I have friends to meet up with." Tsuna averted his bullies' eyes, not wanting to provoke anger, but still tried to escape the boy's grip on his arm. He ended up falling when he pushed away from the bully. By instinct, his hands caught his fall, but caused him to groan since they were scraped as a result.

"What friends–" The tall one stopped talking as his eyes widened at the sudden touch on his right shoulder. He whipped around to punch the person, only to meet with a punch himself, making him meet contact with the ground. "What the–" He stopped and looked up at who hit him, only to meet eye to eye with a trident, pointing dangerously close to his face.

"Rokudo Mukuro, student at Kokuyo Gakuen." Mismatched eyes, a beautiful crimson red with a character in it while the other was a clear navy blue color. His hair was dark cobalt blue, styled similar to that of a pineapple. He was wearing a blue cardigan over a white dress shirt with a loose blank tie. To finish it off, he had one simple black pants and shoes.

A smaller girl stood next to him, hanging onto his other arm's sleeve, glaring slightly at the fallen bully. Where her right eye was located, a black eye patch with a skull embellished over it hid the missing eye. Her left eye was a vibrant violet color, matching her hair, which was similar to that of her companion. She too was wearing a similar outfit, except for a yellow cardigan and black skirt. "Dokuro Chrome."

"Oya? Tsunayoshi, I knew that you were bullied, but to have this happen every day…" Mukuro smirked as he raised his trident and thwacked the bully multiple times, his eyes twitching with a hint of anger.

"Hahaha… Yeah…" Tsuna helped himself up, as Chrome rushed over, noticing the small hints of blood on his hands.

"Tsuna-kun, your hands…" Chrome took the boy's sleeve, not wanting to hold onto his injured hands in fear of hurting them, and tugged him gently in the direction of the water fountain. "Mukuro-sama, we'll be right back."

Mukuro nodded and looked at their figures as they made their way to the water fountain, but chuckled as his attention returned to the two bullies. "Kufufufu. So from I saw today, you two mess with my Tsunayoshi a bit too often. What should I do to you for messing with my–" Mukuro stopped as he jumped away from a male as his trident made contact to the fellow's steel tonfa. "Oya, this is new."

"For harming Namimori students, I'll bite you to death." The raven haired boy jumped at Mukuro, attacking him, sounds of metal hitting metal resonating throughout the entrance. His steel blue eyes turned cold as he realize this stranger was holding up against his attacks.

"Kufufufu. I think you are wrong, Perfect-san. If I recall correctly, they were the ones who were bullying their fellow classmate. I just happened to save the boy and was about to inflict punishment on them before you came." Mukuro smirked as he saw a scowl cross the perfect's face. Both weapons lowered as their fighting subsided.

The perfect whipped around and glared at the two herbivores near them. "Is that true?"

They had thought about lying to the perfect, but the venom in his voice was scaring them terribly. Both of them nodded. "Y-yeah, we were messing with Sawada."

The raven scowled and turned his attention to the rather interesting but annoying herbivore. "I'll let you go this time, you're free to go. What's your name?"

"Rokudo Mukuro, student at Kokuyo." His attention on the perfect was soon replaced by Tsuna's and Chrome's figures as they reentered his field of vision.

Steel blue eyes eyed him suspiciously. "That's not their uniform, herbivore."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow in amusement. This male dare call him an herbivore? He decided to leave his insults for later as Tsuna was fairly close, looking at him with confused and shock eyes, probably due to the perfect in front of him. "I'm a new student. I guess we will be meeting each other later one, Perfect-san or should I say Hibari Kyouya."

Hibari cocked an eyebrow as the blue haired herbivore walked away from him. That mocking voice suddenly became cold as if it was a threat. If he had a sense of humor, he would probably laugh at the fool's idiocy to challenge hi, but he did not. Hibari noticed the brunette herbivore from this morning was talking to the blue haired herbivore along with a female one. He was a bit curious about that, since how did the pathetic herbivore crowd around someone who rivaled his skills? Yes, he would acknowledge someone who was equal or higher than his power, he was no idiot to fool himself that he was strongest.

* * *

As the three of them walked toward Tsuna's house for Mukuro's and Chrome's occasional visit, Tsuna hesitated to start a conversation. He kept on blaming himself for the silent walk home and tried to make up words to use, his forehead scrunched up in concentration.

Mukuro turned around and saw the boy's expression and quickly whipped around, silently chuckled to himself. But a shadow caught the attention of his eyes, causing his smirk to falter a bit.

Chrome also noticed the expression on Tsuna's face and smiled to herself. She slowed her pace down to match Tsuna's to talk to him. "Tsuna-kun, what's wrong?"

Tsuna jumped and blushed once he realized Chrome had caught him thinking again. "Oh, nothing." When he heard Chrome giggle, his face reddened more. He fumbled with his school bag's strap before speaking up. "Um… Do you guys want to eat dinner at my house?"

Chrome smiled and nodded. "We would like that."

Mukuro stopped and looked at Tsuna with a serious face. It was not his usual poker face around people. It was a serious one, erased of all mischief that was once on it. "Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna blanked out for a moment, surprised by Mukuro's tone of voice, but responded. "Yes?"

Mismatched eyes looked directly at chocolate ones. "It's almost time, you know. That arcobaleno will appear before you soon. I know that we have accepted to be your Mist Guardians, but you do know what happens afterwards, right?" Mukuro looked at Chrome.

Tsuna choked on his words, but confidence slowly filled his voice. "C-Creating something from nothing and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Family's true form intangible with visions of deceit. That is the duty of the Mist Guardian." He glanced at Mukuro, then Chrome. He laughed to himself. "We will soon be tainted with the blood of the Mafia world, aren't–" Tsuna took a step back, his legs started to tremble violently. He soon hit the ground as they gave out. His eyes still on the two figures in front of them. Before he could say anything, he started struggling to breathe.

Chrome immediately realized Tsuna was having a spasm, a rather violent one. "Tsuna-kun!" She held onto him as he started squirming, clawing at the ground to breathe. He almost hit her, but that did not matter right now. "Tsuna-kun, calm down. It's okay. It's okay." She patted him on his back, hoping his lungs would open up somehow. She was holding his hands, surprised at the sudden grip as it tightened. It hurt.

Tsuna took in a quick gulp of air, as a flashback entered his vulnerable mind. Its barriers were knocked down. As the memory flew back, he screamed, thrashing about.

Mukuro stood as Tsuna writhed in pain. His body tensed as the boy screamed. His mind blanked out as he remembered a memory when this once happened before.

_

* * *

It was several months after that incident. The very one that caused a deep yet complicated bond between three young people. After that incident, Tsuna started to get spasms as his mind registered anything relating to those two people. _

_Mukuro had not been there when Tsuna had his previous ones, but this time, he was alone with Tsuna as Chrome was away, out to get some food for dinner. They were in one room. Mukuro was polishing his trident, whereas Tsuna was reading a book. _

_Tsuna fell to the ground, crouching in pain, only to start screaming in fear. _

_Mukuro jumped in his seat, his trident disappearing at once. His eyes shot to the source of the sound and rushed to the boy's side. "Tsunayoshi! What's wrong?" His voice was frantic. _

_Tsuna's eyes were brimming with tears, widening with fear. "No… No…! NO!" Chocolate eyes were brimming with tears. His arms were reaching for support. His mind was being consumed by that memory. _

_Mukuro suddenly recalled the time when Chrome spoke to him about Tsunayoshi. She said that he had sudden attacks of fear when he remembered something about that incident. _

"_M-Mukuro… M-My inhaler…" Tsuna's voice came in short breaths. _

_Mukuro snapped out of his train of thought and rushed to the boy's school bag. His face clearly showed how much panic he was in, one that not a lot of people saw before. He fumbled through it, tossing out objects he did not need. Cursing every time his hands searched the bag, he could not reach the object. He finally found it, and turned around to Tusna, who was crumbling into short quick intakes of air, his face turning quite red. He rushed to the younger boy's side, injecting the inhaler into the boy's mouth. With quick squirts of the device, it was tossed aside as Tsuna began another fit. _

_It resulted in Tsuna on top of Mukuro, his eyes clouded with emotions in frenzy. Mukuro was surprised at the boy's grip on his neck. He decided to stay in that position, but had his trident materialized just in case he had to knock Tsuna out. "Tsunayoshi…"_

_Tsuna's eyes widened but he slowly calmed down, his hands loosened their grip around Mukuro's neck. His eyes were clearly red due to the tears, but they closed as he collapsed on top of Mukuro, sweating and panting, releasing the sudden shock his body had. _

_Mukuro gave out a sigh of relief. He held the boy close to him, hearing him breathe naturally now. It truly scared him. He never wanted to get attached to someone, since he knew the fear was far too great to handle if he were to lose someone. But he tossed himself into that abyss, yet he did not regret it. _

* * *

"Mukuro-sama, Tsuna-kun stopped breathing!" Chrome had released Tsuna's grip on her hand and ruffled though his bag, looking for the inhaler. "It's not in here… Why is it not in here?" She frantically looked in it, her mind completely focused on saving Tsuna.

Mukuro noticed that this was not normal. How could Tsunayoshi forget his inhaler? He tossed the thought aside, as we went to pick up Tsunayoshi in a bridal style, not wanting to crush the boy's lungs upon his back and started to run towards the Sawada household. He really did not want to relive that feeling again.

He ran passed the two beings Tsuna saw, not caring about their presence or who they were at all. Chrome too was behind him, carrying Tsuna's bag, but her eyes widened as they rushed past them, realizing who they were.

"Decimo…" The smaller on the two figures gripped the taller one's sleeve. "I didn't think our appearance would shock him that much…"

"I think it would. He was only ten when it happened. He did not think he would lose someone so close at a young age. Of course, he would be traumatized." The taller one looked in the direction where Mukuro ran to. "But it seems like he has accepted that he would taint his hands once he joins the world underneath this bright one."

The smaller one looked up with a sad expression. The sky was slowly dimming like the pureness of their warm sky.

* * *

**Notes:**

Yup, I see some OCCness... Man, we really suck at writing. Ideas just come in out head and typed onto a document. We still have no plot in mind. Might as well keep on doing that until something finally clicks. Wow, two chapters in a day. That's pretty something. So please some criticism would helped and thanks to the reviews we got. Keep them coming and we'll try to update as soon as something pops up in our minds.

Oh, and if you're wondering, some content was taken from Reborn Wiki and some image ideas taken from shuushuu.


	3. Dyed in Crimson Flames

_WARNING: There is a scene in the story that you might not or want to read. It's in italics..._

* * *

Nana was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for Tsuna and his friends plus herself. She smiled to herself; kindly thank Kami-sama for giving friends to her son. She was drinking from a small mug, when the door slammed open. She jumped, slightly spilling some water on the floor. She noticed Mukuro was in front of her, holding Tsuna. "Mu-chan, what happened?" She quickly walked to her son's side, looking up at the teen holding him.

Though still bothered by the nickname Nana gave him, he let it passed, since someone was in much needed care right now. "Nana-san, I need his inhaler. His inhaler was not in his bag. We need it right now."

Nana noticed a slight tone of desperation in his voice, and nodded. She placed her mug on the coffee table as she ran up the stairs to Tsuna's bedroom. She rushed into the room, rummaging in his drawers, until finally seeing the inhaler on the floor, near his bed stand. She quickly ran down, almost slipping on the stairs, but caught her footing. "Here. Hurry." She handed the object to Mukuro, as he struggled to keep Tsuna calm in his arms.

"Tsuna, calm down." Mukuro sat on the couch, laying Tsuna down, crouching by his side, injecting the steroid into the boy. Seeing that the boy stopped squirming on the couch, Mukuro slumped onto the floor on his knees. "Kufufufu… Why must Kami-sama play with me like this…"

Nana placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mu-chan, let's leave Tsu-kun for awhile. It looks like he's falling asleep." She wanted to take the boy away from her son. Not that she did not want him near him, but from what she sees, Mukuro seemed like to be the one more distressed.

Mukuro did not say a word, but got up. Taking one last look at Tsuna, he followed Nana into the kitchen.

* * *

Caramel eyes slowly adjusted to the light in the pale room. Tsuna realized he had gone into a spasm as soon as his eyes lay upon the inhaler near him. "Ugh…" Tsuna wanted to punch himself, as he curled up. _I thought I would be okay without… Why can't I forgive myself about what happened?... Why?..._

"Tsuna-kun…" Chrome wanted to touch her friend's hand, but pulled it back. She smiled sadly to herself, but spoke up. "Are you alright?"

Tsuna whipped around to see Chrome, sitting near him, as if watching him as he slept. "Chrome!" He let took a big gulp of air as if he felt the wind knocked out of him.

"Here, let me help." Chrome stood up and helped her friend sit up on the couch. Seeing that he settled down, Chrome looked down while fumbling with the hem of her skirt.

"Chrome…?" Tsuna looked up at her. Now, that he looked at her, her face was rather pale, as if someone died and came back to life… His eyes widened…

Chrome took a seat next to Tsuna, holding his hands in hers. She saw that he was getting close to the secret she was about to tell him. "Yes… It's true… Onee-san and Onii-san are not dead… They're still alive…"

Tsuna looked at her as if she was crazy. Surprisingly, he did not go into another spasm. It was probably because his disbelief and shock was stronger than his fear, for now. Tsuna shook his head vigourously. "No… No…" His eyes shot back at Chrome. "Chrome, you're lying, right? They can't be alive. They can't be alive! I mean, you were there. Mukuro was there. You saw what I did. You can't just say that they're back!"

Chrome felt her heart twist inside, as she saw Tsuna took a step closer to insanity. "It's true…"

"No…" Tsuna looked at her, his eyes dilating as he was reliving that memory. He pushed Chrome, her back hitting the cushion of the couch. He was so quick, that he was now over her, hands over her neck. "Chrome, why are you lying to me… You saw their bodies…" His personality slowly became warped like that one day.

"T-Tsuna-k-kun…" Chrome struggled to breathe. She realized that she was slipping away, but she did not want to go now. "M-Mu-Mukuro-sama…" Her eye widened as Tsuna was flung across the room.

Tsuna was now on the floor, knocked out by Mukuro's trident. His friend looked at him with pity and sympathy. He looked away, rushing to Chrome's side. "Are you okay?"

Chrome coughed a little bit, but nodded. "I-I'm fine, Mukuro-sama. But how a-about Tsuna-kun? Nana-san?" She looked at him with worried eyes, her breathing still uneven.

"Nana-san went out… She went to get another inhaler for Tsuna…" Mukuro looked back at Tsuna and grimaced. "He's out for now, but he'll come to later." Once again, he turned towards Chrome, his eyes void of any emotion, not even that small hint of mischief was seen. "Chrome, what you said before. Is that true?"

Chrome looked away from Mukuro and nodded. "Yes… It's true… I saw them and brought them here…" She realized the shadow that was hovering over her was no longer there. She looked up and saw Mukuro slamming the door open.

Mukuro's mind almost blanked out for a second as soon as he saw them, his mind in turmoil. How were they still alive?

* * *

_Bright colors of red and orange danced around the ten year old boy. His caramel eyes drained of any emotion. His hands were covered in crimson liquid, slowly slipping off his fingers as it hit the ground. Even though, he was so young, his mind was in a wreck, wondering how adults could so such a fearsome thing. _

_Wires were cut, loose with electricity sparks whipping around in the air. Lights flickered on and off, lighting the hallways with a haunting glow. Bodies lay on and beside each other. Blood clearly seen on the ground. Faces scrunched in horror, undeserving of any compassion. _

_Tsuna had tears running down his cheeks, taking the splatters of blood along with it. "Why? Why? Why?" His body was soon grabbed by two people as if they were rescuing him. _

_Unknown to him, but to the people holding him, knew he had the Sky flame burning inside of him, slowly losing its bright color. They soon jumped once they felt the heat seep through their coats. _

"_Let go of me." Tsuna gritted his teeth, releasing his flame, enveloping himself inside of it. _

_The two backed away, their hoods dropping, revealing a female and a male. "Tsunayoshi! Don't release anymore flames! You'll die!"_

_Tsuna paid no heed to their claims, slowly burning away. His eyes brimming with tears, tired of the world and people. He was outside one day, playing like always, only to be whisk away by men in black suits, dragged to this place. It had been weeks, maybe months went by. They would perform experiments on him, always saying that he was doing this for a good cause. What good cause? He turned out to be a toy they played with._

_His mind replayed to that one moment. One of the men started to reach towards him. Looking at him with as if he was some delicious prey. Tsuna squirmed in fear. As soon as one hand touched his leg, his eyes turned dangerously orange as flames burned the man alive. That started his rampage. _

_He felt arms hugging him in an embrace, like a mother hugging her child. His flames tried to reject the person, but the person would still not let go. He suddenly realized the person was burning. "No, let go of me! You'll get hurt too!" He struggled to get out of the person's grasp, only to have to tighten around him. _

"_No, I won't let go of you, Decimo. Never again will I lose you..."_

_Tsuna's eyes widened. Why wouldn't she person let go? He had to do something. He soon knocked the person to the ground, his hand around her neck. The other searching for something to kill her. "Why… Onee-san…?" He was a worthless person. He took a knife out of its sheath, located on the girl's body. He raised it over her neck, slashing it multiple times. "Why me? Isn't there someone else more special than me? Why do you choose me when I'm some pathetic creature who doesn't deserve to live?" There was no response. _

_Tsuna dropped the knife on the ground. He looked at the girl he had just killed. Her eyes were closed, there was a bittersweet smile drawn across her face, her face scrunched up in pain, as if she was accepting this pain. "WHY? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE BY MY HANDS? NO ONE TOLD YOU TO SAVE ME! NO ONE TOLD YOU TO BE KILLED BY ME? WHY DID YOU REACHED OUT TO ME WHEN YOU KNEW I WAS GOING TO KILL YOU?"_

_Tears ran down his face. He took one look at the knife and smiled softly. "Yeah… Maybe I should follow you. I might just meet you before you go up there…" Tsuna's face scrunched up in pain, as he felt someone punched his stomach._

"_She doesn't blame you, Decimo. No one blames you, Decimo. Just keep living until they call upon you as Vongola heir."_

_Tsuna barely saw the person's face, before realizing who it was. He soon realized who he had just killed. "Onii-san, don't you think it's a bit too late?..." Tsuna staggered to the ground, the air soon losing its place in his lungs. "Aren't I right?" His flames lit up again, this time with determination to burn himself away like ashes in the wind. _

_The male ran the boy, realizing that he was about to commit suicide. "No… It's never too late." The male placed a knife in the boy's hands, forcing its tip into his chest. Blood fell on the floor. "The blood split today will only show you part of the world you will see later on. And we will be there to guide you." His breathing came quick and short. The male bitterly cursed to himself, realizing he plunged the knife into his chest a bit too deep. _

_Tsuna finally snapped out of his daze. His eyes widening, scanning everything. Taking everything in. Telling him what he had just done. His mind cried out, as screams were heard throughout the place. Screams of pain and loss reached the ears of two children. Their bodies frozen by the sound. One boy had blue hair and mismatched eyes. The other one, a girl, purple hair and one purple eye. They looked at each and ran toward the sound, wondering if the person was an enemy or ally.

* * *

_

Tsuna's eyes shot open. His clothes stuck to him like glue, as sweat covered his body. His body heavy with breaths. He scanned the room and stopped at the two figures sitting at the dining table.

One of them saw Tsuna and smiled. The other, waving at him, as if nothing happened. "We're back, Decimo."

* * *

**Notes:**

Yeah, no idea where this story is going, but it'll work out in the end, yeah? The flashback about Tsuna's past... We think that we didn't capture the moment at its best, since we're in a rush, but pulled off kinda. Those who wanted to know what happened, there it is.

It's possible the story might run longer than we thought, considering how one day is not over yet. So yeah, we placed in two OCs in the story. Once we get a hang of it, we'll start adding into Tsuna's Family and head off from there.

Tons of love to the people who reviewed. If you're wondering... we don't really reread out chapters, mostly skim, due to schoolwork. We know people have larger loads but junior years turns out to be harder than we thought. Who knew despite all the warnings? So please review.


	4. Reunion and Resolution

_**Re-edited chapters 1-3, make sure you reread them since some plot has been changed.**_

* * *

All Tsuna could do was blink. In fact, that was what he exactly did. His heart stopped beating the moment he saw them and his mind could not registered or refused to believe who was in front of him, the female and male who saved him. Before anyone could speak up, Tsuna turned towards the stairs and bolted to his room, his face had shock written all over it.

Chrome looked at Mukuro, indecisive if she should run after the distraught boy or stay here. But seeing Mukuro nod at her, she bowed to the guests and ran upstairs.

Mukuro was in the kitchen, leaning at the door frame when Tsuna had entered. Tsuna's reaction was priceless, but he decided not to ponder about it. He pulled up a chair to sit down, waiting until one of them took their seat, with both of them in front of him. His poker face was full of mischief but his eyes held no emotion but seriousness. "Where should I start asking the questions?" His eyes glanced back and forth between the two, analyzing them both.

One had soft blonde hair that cascaded down to her mid-back, tied in a low ponytail. Her eyes were a violet color, similar to that of Chrome's but tinted with indigo. Her companion had light cerulean blue eyes, hidden by black rimmed glasses. Chocolate brown hair, a bit ruffled but tamed, laid flat on top of his head, opposed to Tsuna's wild spikes. "Rokudo Mukuro, right?"

Mukuro raised an eyebrow, acknowledging that they accepted to talk. "Oya, I didn't know my name was that famous." The smirk that was etched on his face was replaced by a scowl. "What does my Tsunayoshi have to do with you?"

The girl looked at him as if he was off about something, but the smile did not move away from her face. "Don't tell me you forgot about your saviors, Mukuro-san? Also, Decimo does not belong to you. He does not belong to anyone. Only people belong to him."

Mukuro glared at the female. "You people were the ones who saved me? Kufufufu. That is really funny."

The female's expression did not budge when Mukuro commented. "Believe whatever you want, Estraneo suspect."

Mukuro looked at them. How did they know that he was a suspect in the killing of the Estraneo family? "And I will. However, since you supposedly placed Tsunayoshi is such a condition, I think I have the right to know who you are."

This time, the male spoke up before the female, who closed her mouth. "We're his Guardians. He would be in that state when he thought we were dead when we saved him from the Estraneo Family's grasp."

Mukuro carefully eyed the male, who expression remained cold. "Why do you know so much? To know that much, I would have to suspect that you are a part of the Vendice."

"Tsuru of the Vendice." The male looked at Mukuro and smirked for the first time. "Waiting to cover everything in frost, pushing everything back, making a path strong enough to walk on, that is my duty as the Snow Guardian."

Mukuro almost gaped at the male's response. What did he say? He looked at the girl, who smiled to herself. "And you?"

"Ibara of the Cerevello." Her voice was low, as if hiding. "Within the night covered in darkness, forever hidden but revealed when the Family needs to see the end, that is my duty as the Moon Guardian."

Before Mukuro could question their claim, both of them pulled out a chain necklace with their respective Vongola Ring except they were wrapped in a chain.

"These positions did not exist after Vongola Primo's time. Secondo portrayed our predecessors as worthless assets. The rings were passed down in Decimo's family, find their way into his hands. His father had fortunately placed them in his room, not thinking much of it. We happened to be visiting his father on business terms and befriended the Vongola heir. He gave us the rings without knowing what they were."

Mukuro looked at them, not believing a word the male had just spoken. "Oya? Do you expect me to accept those unreliable words coming out of your mouth, Vendice?"

Ibara looked at Tsuru and shook her head slowly. "No, we do not blame you if you do believe us. After all, we are just strangers, for now. Aren't I right, Decimo?" Her head faced toward the direction of the kitchen's doorway, at the stairs.

Mukuro whipped around and saw Tsuna and Chrome looking down into the kitchen between the legs of the banisters. They awkwardly walked down into the kitchen, eyes all focused on Tsuna. "Tsunayoshi, you should have stayed upstairs."

Tsuna gave Mukuro a weak but reassuring smile, shaking his head. "I have to face this and I want to confirm something."

"Decimo…" Tsuru and Ibara looked at their boss with awed expressions. He had grown into a somewhat confident man after five years.

"Onee-chan. Onii-chan." Tsuna's eyes glanced back and forth between the female and male who saved him, somewhat surprised how their aura had changed but remained the same nonetheless. His gaze stopped on Ibara, focused on her left arm. "Do you mind if I see your scar?"

Mukuro and Chrome looked at Tsuna. This was unexpected. They had expected questions to come out of his mouth, but instead he was asking about her scar. Just before he was weak to his knees, but now, he stood with his head held high with aplomb.

Ibara looked shocked as she blinked a couple of times before obliging to the boy's request. "Come here." She motioned to come closer while taking off her cloak, revealing a simple white blouse with jeans. She slipping her arm out of the sleeve, revealing bandages wrapped over her upper arm.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow at her actions while Chrome flushed a crimson color, shocked at Ibara's. A small blush tinted Tsuna's cheek.

Ibara slowly unwrap the bandages, as the scar slowly played into view. It was like a gash. Its complexion was not of a female's, but rough with ripped but healed tissues.

A gasp escaped Chrome's mouth, while Mukuro was shocked that such a scar existed on the female's body. Did Tsuna really create that when he was younger? What drove him that far to do so?

Tsuna looked at the scar he created. It was there, proof that his flame touched her. It was something he did not do again, hurting someone important to him. His hand reached out, meeting contact with scar gently with his fingers, grazing it with his warmth. It sent shockwaves throughout Ibara's body, shocked at his touch.

All eyes were still on him, amazed by his direct actions. It was as if he was examining something unbelievable, but somehow hints of regret were evident in his eyes yet remained undisturbed.

"I'm sorry."

Ibara looked at the boy with wide eyes. Why was he apologizing to her? It was suppose to be the other way around. She was supposed to apologize to him, not from him to her. She failed her duty as his Guardian when he was whisked away under her eyes. "Decimo." She took his hand that was touching her arm, and placed a kiss on the back of it. Looking up to her sky, her eyes were filled compassion. "You do not need to apologize, Decimo. Since it should be me apologizing to you for not being able to watch you properly back then. However, if you do still seek forgiveness from me, then your warmth is all I need. In return, I pledge my life to you, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna's legs gave out in the moment, suddenly taking his hand away from Ibara's hand as he fell to the ground. R grinned at his fall, a weak smile at that. "Hahaha…" Tears began to form in his eyes as his mind finally registered that they were alive. He was forgiven. He felt her warmth as she kissed his hand. She was alive before him. That was all he wanted, to see them alive and with him. "Thank you…"

Ibara dropped to her knees, not caring about her appearance, placing Tsuna's head on her chest, holding her dear sky close to her heart. Tears too formed in her eyes even though she tried to hold them back. At the very moment, she swore to the moon that she will let go the male. Not ever again, did she want to live out the feeling of being tossed out of the sky. He had saved her from the darkness, so this time; she will save him from that darkness as they both sunk in it.

Mukuro noticed Tsuna needed him time alone to catch up with his other Guardians. "Kufufufu. I guess we won't be having dinner here. Let us go back, Chrome." He turned around, not catching the sad smile on Tsuru's face. If he had seen it, then he would have guessed that the Snow Guardian had done something regretful to the Vongola heir.

"Hai." Chrome followed Mukuro as they left the house; a small smile played on her lips, but slowly faded away as questions entered her mind.

First of all, they were a part of the judgment familias in the Mafia, so why were they able to freely move around like that? Second, why did they come now of all times? They clearly knew where Decimo was located and could have appeared at any time in front of him, but what stopped them from doing so?

Tsuru watched as the Mist Guardians exited the kitchen. Cerulean eyes returned to his companion and boss. His feelings toward the Decimo were like Ibara's but complex due to his line of work. He was part of Vendice, an organization where families claimed that they were no longer human. They were right. They were no longer human, but creatures filled with revenge. That created his distant personality toward others, but they sky melted it away as he came to understand the boy.

Yet he knew that his and Ibara's very existence would break the boy like it did to Giotto. What he told Mukuro was the truth, but only partially. Tsuru bit his bottom lip, as he was watched the sky and the moon hug each other. His head tore away from the scene, torn with guilt.

Did he regret coming out of hiding and coming back into the Decimo's life? Would this affect the boy's growth as the heir to Vongola? Questions formed in mind an alarming fashion, relentlessly beating him with pessimistic feelings.

He turned back to the scene, only to see vibrant orange eyes looking at him then back to Ibara. Tsuru nearly fell out of his chair but kept his balance. He already knew the answer deep inside despite all the warnings. He resolved to stay near the boy as long as he needed him. The frost finally melted as life began to grow once again.

After many years, the moon finally came out of hiding and shined brightly in the sky. As for the snow, it melted away but it did not dare fall from the sky, scared that it would could the bright sky.

* * *

**Notes:**

We're still working on story. It was just that our virus subscription ended and we didn't a virus, so we unplugged the computer. But while we were working on the stories, we kinda lost our inspiration along the way. However, now we decided to plug the Internet back in, we managed to write up to chapter 6, that's currently in the works.

Sadly, we don't have much of the plot worked out... It's kinda conflicting introducing the characters, but for some odd reason, we somehow worked out how the ending is going to be. Isn't that weird? Anyway, please review. We want to hear back from you.


	5. Silent Cracks of Guilt

When Nana entered the premises of her kitchen, she was surprised to see the scene in front of her. She did not expect her son, of all people, to be in an intimate position with a beautiful young female with someone else in the room, considering how the female's appearance was not exactly wrinkle-free. "Tsu-kun?"

"HIEEE!" Tsuna jumped suddenly at his mother's voice, almost bumping into Ibara's chin, releasing himself from Ibara's warmth. He scooted so far away that he bumped into the kitchen wall. Chocolate eyes looked up and met with his mother's, unable to say anything but her name. "Okaa-san!"

Nana's lips curved into a mischievous smile, one that could rival Mukuro's smirk. "Ara? I didn't know you had a girlfriend, an older at that. And you're so open about it in front of people too. I didn't think you had it in you!" She giggled as her son's expression exploded in embarrassment complimented with a blush.

"Okaa-san!" Tsuna pouted at her misunderstanding as he quickly stood up and rushed upstairs to his room. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Nana eyed the female before coming to another conclusion. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, I did not raise you to be a player!" Her eyes gave an obvious sign that she was not someone one would want to anger.

A sound of a collision of a door was heard upstairs. "Itai… I'm not a player and she's not someone I'm playing with!"

"Then what is she?"

There was a moment of silence except for the sound of Nana's foot tapping as she waited for an answer.

Tsuna's head popped over the banister, looking at his mom with a blush while rubbing the pain from the collision on his head. "She's someone I care about, okay?" He noticed Ibara was looking at him with surprised eyes, making him blush some more and rushed into his room, but not before running into it again. That was he got for running with his head down and eyes closed.

Nana gave out a sigh of relief and a smile replaced her scowl. As long he was a gentleman toward girls, she did not have lecture him about dating and all that. She turned around and entered the kitchen with a small prescription bad in hand.

Ibara shook herself out of shock, as a pink glow slowly tinted her cheeks. She noticed Nana was coming closer, making haste to fix her appearance.

Before Ibara had the chance to pull her sleeve over her now visible scar, Nana had already caught a sight of it. "That scar…" It looked familiar to her as if she had seen it before, but where? Her eyes moved from the scar to widened violet ones, realizing her comment was heard. "Oh! Don't mind what I said. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Ibara shook her head and smiled at Decimo's mother. "You want to know about it since you're worried because of its damage to my skin, aren't you?"

Nana hesitantly nodded.

Ibara pulled up her seat as Nana followed suit. Her eyes gazed at her arm with a warm feeling. "It was something I received from a loved one by accident. He did it unintentionally but I take this as atonement for my actions when I was younger. I failed to protect to him and he gave this to me in return. But I forgave him and he forgave me."

Nana's mind slowly placed the pieces together as it started to finally connect. "So it was Tsu-kun who gave you that scar?" When she came in the kitchen, she noticed Tsuna was touching the scar with a delicate touch while hugging the girl close to him, like he did not want to lose her. "Then that would make you two the Onee-chan and Onii-chan who saved him when he was kidnapped."

Tsuru slowly turned toward Nana with a hidden expression. How did she know that? He thought it was kept a secret from Decimo's mother so they did not need to worry her and drag her into the Mafia world even more.

Nana smiled softly at Tsuru when she saw the worried look on his face. "You should you that a mother can't stay still when she knows her child has been kidnapped." She started to fumble with her fingers in her lap as she told them her story.

"It was the scariest moment of my life when my husband told me that Tsu-kun was missing because he was kidnapped. I realized he knew something but did not want to tell me, so I refused to let him near me or the house. Knowing that he could stand being apart from me because of what recently happened, he finally told me why it happened and how we were related to it. I was shock when I heard the words coming from his mouth. At that moment, I was on the verge of wanting to escape my marriage with my husband, but I just couldn't.

He had kept me safe after all these years even though there were so many people after him. That should me how much he treasured me. And there was Tsu-kun. He was already pulled in without knowing it and was dealing with it. I told myself that I could not be selfish and escape on my own fate when I accepted my husband's proposal so I came to accept it and that nothing could change it. My love for my family was stronger than my fear of dying at any time.

Months later, Tsu-kun was found but he had changed dramatically. He did not let any near him. I tried to touch him once but he shunned me away. Slowly, he started to warm up to me when he let me pat his head when he was sleeping. He slowly returned back to normal." She placed her hands on top of the table, looking up at the ceiling. "He's going to become Vongola Decimo, isn't he?"

Ibara and Tsuru nodded. "He will, but we will take care of him for you, Sawada-san."

Nana waved her hand back and forth, as if there was an imaginary fly in her space while softly laughing. "But please take your well-being into priority also since I'm sure Tsu-kun does not want to lose you again. Oh, don't call me that. We're family now, aren't we? Call me, Nana.""

Ibara shuffled in her seat nervously before popping a question. "Does that mean Decimo knows that you know who he is?"

Nana nodded with a sad smile. "He was very upset and angry when I told him. He was worried that I would get pulled into something I did not need to get pulled in more. But I told him that I had already accepted the fact and nothing could change it. After that, he did not put up a fight but hugged me, relieved that he did not have to hide it anymore. Also saying that he would protect me in place of his father."

Ibara smiled warmly at Nana. "I see… Decimo has grown up." She noticed Nana was pouting at her, causing her to sweat at the mother's reaction. "I mean, Tsunayoshi has grown up." This time, she saw Nana nod at her, letting out a sigh of relief as a reply.

Tsuru smiled at Nana's little banter with Ibara. "Mama, is there anything you should be doing now?"

Nana blinked at Tsuru's question and clapped her hands in realization. "Mu-chan and Chrome-chan left early, didn't they? Mou… They could have stayed and take some dinner home." She looked at Ibara and sighed in disappointment, earning a confusing expression on Ibara's face. "Ara… Since you're not his girlfriend, I'm starting to question his preferences in women. How did that boy at such a hormonal age stay so calm in such a beautiful female's arms? I'm sorry if my son has offended you."

Ibara gaped at Nana, a blush replacing her confused expression. Her hands were up waving back and forth, trying to erase the thought from Nana's mind. "N-No! I don't mind at all. Deci– I mean, Tsunayoshi has finally reunited with us, and so it was just a simple welcome hug." But she could wipe off that smile that was forming on Nana's lips.

Tsuru chuckled. "Mama, would be alright with you if we stay here for awhile?

Nana stopped teasing Ibara and looked at Tsuru, nodding. "I don't mind. In fact, there are some spare rooms in the house. There are some rooms surrounding Tsu-kun's room and the attic."

Tsuru and Ibara stood up and bowed to Nana in respect. "Please take care of us and thank you."

Nana looked surprised but motioned them to sit back down. "You're welcome. There's no need for such formalities in my house. But if you choose to do so, I would not mind. That reminds me. Where are my manners? I didn't catch your names."

"Ibara."

"Tsuru."

Nana blinked when she heard their names. Where did she had hear those names before?

"Is there anything wrong with our names," asked Ibara, noticing Nana's reaction.

Nana stopped thinking for a moment and shook her head. "I thought I heard your names from somewhere, but I just realized that you couldn't be them since they lived a long time ago.

Thorns and vines, huh? It seems like you were meant to be his Guardians." Nana giggled. "I will be placing my son in your care then, Ibara-chan. Ru-chan."

Ibara laughed at Tsuru's reaction in his nickname, his mouth slightly gaped open in shock. If other people saw them right now, they would not think that these people were deeply a part of the Mafia.

However, uneasiness churned deep in their stomachs as Nana's little comment made its way into their guilt.

* * *

**Notes:**

It looks like Ibara and Tsuru have a few secrets up their sleeve. But we really like our OC's, too bad... We're trying to figure out their personalities, since they are a major component of the story. So it'll be awhile until we post another chapter, just get our finger around their behavior and quirks. From there, we'll see what happens and hope you'll enjoy it. Please review and tell us what you think of the story.


	6. Intrusion with Disguises

Tsuna blinked once or twice before gaping at the unexpected scene in front of him. He did not think they would actually enter his school, but then again, the pair was a part of the Mafia, so this should not have been a surprise to him. But still, this was surprising.

* * *

It had been a rather short yet long week since Ibara and Tsuru started staying the house as family. They insisted that they stayed in the attic since they did not want to impose on Nana by taking up two rooms when guests may come over at any time to stay over. Nana reluctantly agreed to let them stay in the same room as long as they let the door to the attic creak a bit so she could check up on them every once in awhile.

Ibara and Tsuru agreed to her conditions since they knew Nana would respect their privacy. There was one time when the door was closed that Nana had to tap on the door with a broom stick, since the door was on the ceiling. She was worried that something might be going up there.

Ibara told Nana that they were privately conversing which had something to do with _that_. Nana immediately understood and instructed them to hang up a sign whenever they had times like that so she would know and not bother them. It was not that she did not trust them, but she was starting to treat them like her own children. It would also help if she was notified of these things. In the end, it worked out.

_

* * *

Just before the week ended, Nana gathered Ibara, Tsuru, and Tsuna into the living room. It appeared to be serious when she was sitting down in the armchair while waiting them to sit down in the couch. _

"_Mama, what's wrong?" Ibara noticed that tension in the air and realized that this did not happen often. It became more plausible when she saw Tsuna's eyes glued to the coffee table in front of him, stiff as a stick as he sat down. _

"_Tsu-kun, don't be so stiff. It's not going to be like that one time when I gave the talk about the birds and the bees." _

_Tsun's face flushed crimson as he heard something his mother mentioned something other people did not need to hear. "Okaa-san! Not in front of Ibara-nee and Tsuru-nii!" He covered his face in his hands as he heard laughter beside him. _

_Ibara was facing the other way as hee hand covered her mouth, trying to hide her laugh. Tsuru did the same thing, but only an amused smile appeared on his face. They looked at the corner of their eyes and saw the boy pout, making it harder for Ibara to keep it in. _

_Nana smiled at their interactions with one another. It felt like they were truly siblings. It was a cute moment. She then cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the three. "Now, that we're all here, I am sure that Ibara-chan and Ru-chan wants to protect Tsu-kun. Yet, they cannot do so, since the only way to fulfill that ambition is to also be a part of the school he goes to. Am I right?"_

_Ibara and Tsuru's expressions became serious as they nodded. Tsuna stopped being embarrassed and attentively listened. _

"_But from what I recall, you are a couple years older than Tsu-kun, which makes you twenty at least. Do you have any ideas on how to infiltrate the school with that handicap?" Nana looked at the pain with a serious expression, realizing that this is something that might be difficult to do. _

_Ibara's lips curved into a devious smirk as Tsuru shrank into his seat on the couch. Tsuna had shivers down his spine. _

_Nana was amused by their reactions, while Tsuna had a bugging feeling that when they do get into his school, some things will be drastically changing. _

"_Just leave that to me, Mama. When you're a part of the Mafia, there is nothing you can't do. Infiltrating the school will just be the icing on the cake." That smile on her face just grew more devious as if she was a devil herself. _

_Tsuna could not help but gape at Ibara's reaction. What was she thinking? It was not as if they were actually infiltrating an enemy's base!_

* * *

Yes, he really could not digest the scene in front of him. But now, he knew why Tsuru-nii was acting the way he did when Ibara-nee had that smile on her face.

"Hello, everyone. I will be the substitute teacher until a new one is found to replace Tachibana-sensei, who suddenly retired. My name is Sawada Yuki, but do call me Yuki-sensei since I know Sawada-san would not like it if he was confused with his cousin.

_Yuki? Really, Tsuru-nii?_ Tsuna's expression was still plastered on his face.

Tsuru noticed this and slightly smirked at the young Decimo's shock. He slowly walked up the boy's desk; eyes gazed at him, and lightly wacked Tsuna on the head. "Is there something fascinating about me that you're staring at the front of the room for quite some time?"

"HIEEE!" Tsuna fell back on his chair as he suddenly noticed Tsuru was in front of him. "Itai… No, Tsu– Yuki-sensei." Tsuna looked up at Tsuru and gave him a small smile. Not a lot of people have seen Tsuna sincerely smile at school, so this was a new discovery to them, earning a few stares from his classmates.

Tsuru sighed to himself with a small smile on his lips as he turned toward the front of the classroom and started walking. "Well then, let's continue on with the class. Since this is only homeroom, I will be coming back later to teach math. I will also be back with a new transfer student. I hope you all welcome him." No one but two heard the cold tone in Tsuru's voice.

* * *

Yes, someone beside Tsuna heard his change in attitude and he was sitting right behind Tsuna.

Raven black hair decorated the top of his head. Dark brown eyes looked at the back of Tsuna's head, then to the teacher in the front of the classroom.

He had a tall athletic body equipped with quick and queen senses and reflexes. His eyes usually reflected cheeriness but held a deep hidden emotion of loneliness as no one he knew was really a friend.

However, the brunette in front of him was abnormally comfortable to be with even though he never really talked to the shorter person. Was it his nature that attracted him? Or was it something else that he saw in the boy that no one else saw? Yamamoto Takeshi let out a sigh and just remained focused on the lesson, though his mind drifted off to different matters.

* * *

Tsuna could not believe that Tsuru-nii was actually in front of him and came to his school. The older male was dressed in a simple white long sleeve shirt with simple black jeans. The shirt nicely defined his muscles without making him look as if he was trying to show off. His hair stayed aloof as his eyes were hidden by his glasses, so no one really got a good look of his eyes. If they did, then they would probably think he was a foreigner due to his eye color.

His personality was something Tsuna had not fully comprehended. It was like this man was created with three personalities. When they were at home, Tsuru would act indifferent but warm toward his family. When the fellow was serious, there was no emotion whatsoever on his face, as if it was a mask itself.

But here, he was acting warm, his expression was warm, but his eyes were cold as ice as his voice was barely coated with frost. From what Tsuna could tell, no one would want to rub Tsuru-nii the wrong way.

The bell finally rung, signaling homeroom was over, but Tsuna was not prepared for his next surprise. He was suddenly bombarded with questions before fully grasping what was happening to him. His fellow classmates suddenly started blasting questions at him.

"Is Yuki-sensei really related to you?"

"Do you know Yuki-sensei?"

"How come you never introduce him to us?"

The brunette shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, showing that he was nervous with the large crowd around him, which was enclosing on him.

"Maa. Maa. You guys have to calm down and let Tsuna have some air. How can he answer your questions if you don't give him some air?"

Tsuna turned around and saw Yamamoto Takeshi, grinning at him. Tsuna smiled a bit in return, but could not help but question how come this famous athlete was helping him.

Feet started shuffling back, but eyes were glued on Tsuna.

The scared male started fumbling with his fingers, deciding whether to tell his classmates or not. He looked up and whipped back to looking at his fingers when those eyes were still on him but with much anticipation. "Y-Yuki-sensei is my cousin on my father's side… H-He's staying in Namimori to earn his degree in teaching… And I just found out I had cousins…"

"Tsunayoshi!"

A woman's voice resonated in the room, annoying Tsuru very much. He did expect her change in personality to infiltrate the school, but to this degree…

Heads turned toward the source the sound, only to gawk at the woman, who was approaching Tsuru.

Soft blonde hair was curled in natural bangles opposed to their original straightness. Indigo violet eyes were hidden by glasses, hiding their exotic color from the students. She was wearing a simple black blouse with ruffles and a simple pale peach pencil skirt, combined with her doctor's coat. Her outfit defined her figure nicely without being too overexposed or over dressed.

"Yu-kun, do you know where Tsunayoshi is? Mama told me to bring his bento that he had forgotten."

Students were started to guess that theses two were a couple, due to their attitudes towards each other.

Tsuru just smiled at Ibara, his right eye twitching as he tried not to become more irritated. It went unnoticed by the students, except for the grinning Ibara. "Why, yes. I do. He's right over there in that center of students." His finger pointed to the crowd of teenagers.

Ibara just smiled, but a bit devious, as she turned around walking towards Tsuna. "Thank you." As she approached Tsuna, a path opened up to her as she walked up to Tsuna.

"Here you go, Tsunayoshi. Mama says that you shouldn't wake up late time so I don't have to bring it to you. But I don't mind if I get to see my cute cousin every day."

Tsuna blushed as he shrunk in his seat.

This time, the students looked at Tsuru, then Ibara, and finally Tsuna. "You're all related?..."

Ibara winked at them, giggling. "Of course. Don't we look alike?" She saw them shake their heads hesitantly. "Hahaha… Yeah, it's probably because me and Yu-kun, I mean Yuki-sensei's parents are foreigners. I have that European look while Yuki-kun just got the eyes."

Curious eyes were now looking at Tsuna.

Ibara noticed and decided to shift the attention onto her. "Hello, everyone. I am Enjou Tsukiko, but call me Enjou-sensei. I am the new school nurse. Yuki-sensei and I are both from Italy, so please take care of us. And if anyone hurts Tsunayoshi, he or she will feel a world of pain worse than death."

Her voice was a bit loud when she stated her last sentence. She noticed their widened eyes as Tsuru smacked his forehead. Some were shocked that she could say that with such a warm expression on her face.

Tsuna could not help but wanting to ditch school. It did appear to be a better idea this morning. But since Tsuru-nii and Ibara-nee were now a part of his school, they would be worried if he suddenly disappeared under their watch and he did not want that.

He banged his head against the desk as his classmates finally dispersed to get ready for the next period when the bell rang. He could not take any more surprises. But unfortunately, fate seemed to be messing with him now as there were several more along the way throughout the day.

Yamamoto looked at the Sawada cousins and quietly chuckled to himself. "Tsuna is quite interesting."

* * *

**Notes**:

Eh... This chapter was not that good at introducing Ibara and Tsuru... We're trying to weave in the other characters but it's a bit difficult since we got sick. Ugh... Well, review and tell us what you think. There are some grammar mistakes here and there... Gotta proofread these before putting them up...


	7. The Predator and the Threat

He felt his pulse beating faster every second ever since he laid eyes on that shadow in the front school yard. He ran out the classroom, running to wherever his little legs could carry him, anywhere far away from that shadow. Tsuna looked around and realized that he had ended up on the roof during the physical examination. He collapsed on his knees as his hands gave his arms support, his chest heaving up and down. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a deep scar running down along his lower left abdomen. His breathing was abnormal and he did not have his inhaler with him. This was the worst situation. He thought it would be gone since Ibara-nee and Tsuru-nii was actually alive, but how come his spasms had not disappeared? Were they really there or not?

His body shook violently as a series of earthquakes passed through his body. It hurt so much. Why? Why did that shadow scare him so much? His shirt clenched onto him as sweated dripped from his forehead and slowly soaked into his shirt.

"Herbivore, what are you doing?"

Tsuna's eyes widened, when he heard Hibari's voice. But they immediately closed as he fell on his side, curling up in pain. He could see the perfect's shoes right in front of him, the confident shadow standing over him. However, the pain spreading through his body was indomitable. Nothing could get rid of it. "H-Hibari-san… P-Please run a-away…" Tsuna realized what was happening.

The disciplinary perfect raised an eyebrow at the boy's actions. "Don't make me laugh, herbivore." Suddenly, a flame ignited at his feet as he took a jump back from the suddenness.

The younger male pushed himself up, as his body swayed back and forth, the flames surrounded his hands, slowly scorching them. As soon as his head was held up, it revealed crimson orange orbs taking over the once brown hued eyes. In an instant, he was taking swings at Hibari. "Don't come near me." His eyes stared at Hibari, holding no feeling, remaining stoic. Remaining pieces of the herbivore had disappeared. So why was there was desperation in his voice?

"I'll bite you to death, herbivore." Hibari whipped out of tonfas, fast enough to block the flames that aimed at him.

"No…" But Tsuna's body did not obey its mind as it continued to attack Hibari as if it was doing it out of self defense.

A flame flew past Hibari with high velocity, barely missing the perfect's face. A smirk replaced the scowl on his face, until he was kicked from the side into the floor. His body rolled until it hit the fence, looking up to see the brunette about to smash his face. He growled, getting ready for the impact of the punch, only to feel nothing.

He soon saw the brunette looking the other way, only to dodge the daggers that laid rest at the place where his feet once were. They were sharp enough to penetrate through the floor, proving that their user was skilled.

A chain came out of nowhere and grabbed onto the boy's leg. As soon as it was wrapped around a leg, a tug was seen and the boy was smashed into the railing across from Hibari, making him unconscious on impact.

A female silhouette appeared from behind the entrance of roof, revealing herself in the sun.

Hibari eyed the woman. She was definitely someone he had seen before. If he looked closer at her legs, he could see a foreign sword strapped around her left leg. There was something on her right leg, but he could not identify what it was. "Who are you?"

The female walked up to him and stood over him, kneeling down to look at his face. "Someone you will learn to fear, young one. Thorns that will prick at your side if you dare attack its rose."

Hibari glared at the female as he got himself cleaned up and standing. He was about to attack her until he felt something cold touched his neck. He looked down and saw it that weapon she had on her left leg. "Tch."

The female laughed at him. "Wondering what this is? It's a kaiken. I suggest you don't move, since this little one can–" Before she could finish, the blade was tossed out of her hand, as it landed on her side, as a tonfa was held at her throat.

Hibari glared at the woman in front of him. She dare point a blade at him? "Who are you, herbivore?"

Her lips curved into a devious smile, almost sending chills down the perfect's spine. "You'll know soon. But I suggest watching your own neck before attacking mine."

Hibari scowled, realizing that he was now stuck in this woman's hands. So that was what strapped on her right leg. It was a sickle, connected to a chain. It was a good weapon for ranged attacks as well as close range, a kusari, if trained well. She was not someone who gave mercy, since she did not give him time to get back into his stance.

She lowered her weapon and placed it back on her leg as she walked over and picked up her other weapon. She knew Hibari would take this moment to attack her, so she let him.

Hibari almost questioned her when she moved to get her weapons, but resulted in attacking the female. As his tonfa neared her side, his eyes widened when her body shifted to side and side kicked him in the rib, making him tumble over on the ground.

"Hibari Kyouya, know your place. You should know when a carnivore cannot take on a species more dominant than itself, it backs down." Her eyes glared down at him as she lowered her face down to his ear. "You finally found your predator, Kyouya. And it's me."

Hibari was left in shock as the woman walked over the herbivore and picked him in gentle way. It was almost like a lioness protecting her cub. He growled as soon as she disappeared. She was indeed a ferocious woman, a carnivore indeed.

Too bad for Hibari. There was someone who was stronger than her and that was her partner.

* * *

"Reborn, what are you doing here?"

The shadow turned around and eyed the male in front of him with slight suspicion. A baby dressed in a black suit with a black fedora adorning his head, his sideburns curling nicely, giving him an innocent look. "I would like to ask you the same thing, Vendice."

Tsuru glared at the hitman before him. "I'm here because of the Decimo and only the Decimo. He is my top priority and no one replaces him, even if it's my own famiglia." His eyes showed resolution that finally replaced his own confusion of being with the Vongola heir.

Reborn was surprised at his declaration, a bit impressed, but did not show it. "Vendice, if you're here because of the Vongola Decimo, then you work for the Vongola Famiglia. That's how it works."

Tsuru almost reached in his pocket to pull out his weapon, but stopped, not wanting to fight. "That's what you think, Arcobaleno. I won't harm you now, but if you break that boy, I will break that pacifier of yours." And with that, Tsuru walked off from Reborn.

Reborn watched as the Vendice male walked away. That male was serious in his threat. Reborn knew that he had to take this seriously or else his life would be at stake, no matter how powerful the curse was. This was going to be tough one.

* * *

**Notes**:

Just got sudden inspiration to do this chapter. And took less than a half day. Cool. I wonder if I made Ibara beat up Hibari too much... Please review.


	8. Quiet Arguments

Eyelids fluttered open as an arm was raised, covering his sight from the sudden invasion of white entering his eyes. Tsuna looked around and realized he was in the infirmary. He looked at his hands and noticed they were bandaged carefully, leaving no trace of the scorch marks seen. Scenes of what happened before he blacked out flew back into this mind. He immediately rose from his bed, jumped off of it, sliding the flimsy curtains aside, and headed towards the door. His balance, however, was not back, resulting in the young male falling forward. He closed his eyes, waiting for impact, but only felt being caught in warm arms. "Who…?"

He looked up and chocolate brown eyes were locked with violet indigo ones, brimmed with worry. "Tsunayoshi, you're still not back to normal. Get back on the bed and rest." She ran her thin fingers through his messy locks of hair like an older sister soothing her scared little brother. "Please?"

Tsuna wanted to say no, but eventually released himself from Ibara's arms and climbed back on the bed, his body facing the ceiling. His arms covered his eyes, shielding him from the world. "Ibara-nee… Can you please close the curtains? I want some time alone to think to myself."

Ibara hesistated but did as she was requested. "I'll be back to check on you later, so please rest."

From the corner from his eyes, he could almost sweat Ibara-nee was glaring at him, but the curtains flew between them before he could take a double take. He was soon asleep, not knowing Ibara had inserted a sedative into him when he fell on her. "I still need to apologize to Hibari…"

Ibara sighed as she faced the person, who was sitting on a tree branch outside the infirmary window. "Get out of here, Reborn."

The baby did not bat an eyelash at her order, but disappeared before a dagger was thrown at him. Luckily, the window was open or else someone would have heard the glass break.

"Cerevello and Vendice hanging around the Vongola heir, this is definitely new." Reborn looked up at where the dagger was thrown and frowned. When did the heir meet such people?

* * *

The bell rang as a swarm of students were released from school. Two adults stood behind the school, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation. And if there was someone who overheard, that person would be knocked out before anything else could be said.

"Ibara, why did you attack that boy?" Tsuru slammed her back against the wall.

Both of their eyes held no emotion like the true Mafia assassins they were.

Ibara looked to side as her partner glared at her. "That boy needed to learn his place."

"He's not a part of the Vongola Decimo's Famiglia. What makes you think you can do that?"

Ibara bit her bottom. They were going to go in circles if she allowed him to question her like this. "If I had not intervened, then he would have been killed." She turned and faced Tsuru, looking at him straight in the eyes. "Do you think I would want Tsunayoshi to kill someone he did not need to kill? I don't think so."

Tsuru's eyes widened a bit before returning to their normal shape. "Tsunayoshi wanted to kill him?"

Ibara scoffed at him. Her emotions for Tsunayoshi were taking over her quiet personality. "Yes, he did. It was a response to that Arcobaleno's murderous intent leaking out. Hibari happened to be the closest one at the time, so it would make sense."

Tsuru continued to glare at Ibara, who equally met his gaze, holding her ground against his. "Then why did you save that boy?"

Ibara's lips tightened this time, her words leaving an inaudible whisper. "He resembles him…"

"What?" Tsuru heard what she said, but if she was going to be like this, then they were going to end up beating around the bush.

Her eyes revealed hesistation, but her voice was quavering with irritation. "He resembles him."

Tsuru let out a sigh. "Who resembles who?"

Ibara bit her lip, enough her it to bleed. "Hibari Kyouya resembles Alaude…"

Tsuru took a step back in response. If she had come to this conclusion, then… "Who else have you have been analyzing?" His eyes were almost filled with fury.

Ibara knew she was in trouble, but there was no way she was going to shake in fear to defend what she said. "Yamamoto Takeshi. He resembles Asari."

Tsuru almost snapped and wanted to slap Ibara. He ended up punching the wall. His knuckles were bleeding as a result. "What makes you think they're made out for the world we're in? How do you think the Decimo is going to feel when he finds out about this? That you're picking out potentials for his group of Guardians." He looked down at the female, only to see her regretting her actions. Tsuru dropped the quiet act, and ran his fingers in frustration. "Well, that makes three out of seven, including the Decimo. That's almost half of them. What are we going to do now?"

Ibara knew what Tsuru meant. "We won't make a move. I'll continue to analyze other potentials… And if the time comes, then…"

"Ibara, you do know that we are not suppose to look for them, right? Why are you when you know that he has choose them himself?" Tsuru shook the girl bu her shoulders.

Her violet indigo eyes broke away from Tsuru's eyes. "Tsuru, you know we won't be here to protect him all the time. No matter how much we want to stay by his side, we are still going to end up leaving him…"

Tsuru let o fo her and kicked the wall out of frustration. "You don't have to remind me."

"Tsuru…"

He noticed the pleading sound in her voice, but he was already walking away. He did not want to look at her for now. "I know. I won't do anything to hurt the Decimo. Just give me some time to cool off."

She watched him walk away as she slumped against the wall, curling up in a fetal position. "Tsuru, why don't you call him by his name when he's not here…?" She looked ahead as her eyes became dull. "I understand how you feel, but… Have you ever wonder if we are replacing the Decimo with him…? Is Tsunayoshi a replacement?"

* * *

**Notes**:

Wow, the chapter keep on getting shorter, huh... Well, it's okay if it gets the plot moving. Hahaha. Well, it seem like Ibara and Tsuru have some sort of secret, we wonder what that's about? If you're wondering, the fight with Hibari took place a few days after Ibara and Tsuru entered the school. So that kinda explains how Ibara is analyzing potentials. Yeah, there is bad blood between Ibara and Tsuru with Reborn. Wonder why though? Even we don't know. Hahaha... Well, please review and tell us what you think.


	9. Important Notice

This is likely the last you hear of us until winter, around December.

Um… If you have been wondering what has been going on, the cause is school. Being a junior and balancing three AP classes is apparently not easy, so we had been told. *coughapbiologycough* We have been working on the story, and every time we think of something, it's all over the place.

Honestly, when we think of the plot for the story, we somehow start with the middle and the beginnings are so hard to plan out. It's like trying to get a rocket to work and ride the momentum when it hits space.

Anyway, we're sorry for being on a hiatus and it's going to take longer than we thought… We actually have the plot all planned out and on paper. It's just not typed out on the computer. We are currently working on the prequel of the story. We know that this story should be focused on, but the prequel is actually something that would solve the confusion created in this story.

We just want to ask you to ignore this story. It will come back but likely under a new name. We like to thank your support over then span you have liked "Black and White." Please expect a revision around winter time. Personally, after reading "Flames and Family I" and "Flames and Family II" in a span of three days with over midway in the second story, we feel like amateurs. Yeah, it was that good. We really liked it.

Please expect a revision around winter time. We are determined to finish this story. It's just hard to put it into words.


	10. Important Notice II

Hello Hello.

And we are back with another message. Before we can officially post our chapters of our new re-edition of "Black and White," we are asking you to take a poll that can be found on our profile. It will determine the ending of "Black and White" and the future of our possible story.

If anyone is wondering, the story's name has not been picked out yet. But you will see it come up around the week before Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays


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